Automatic boiler water feeder



May 13, 1930. H. E. PAGE AUTMATIC BOILER WATER FEEDER Filed Aug. 4. 1926 L Z Iliff/44 .7l/1711114 f Y Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED STATES gPMENT,c i=-1=rc:E^i)

HERBERT'EDWARDPAGE, orE sYRAOU'sE, New! YORK, asseNoR To*v su'lfr'rs-f HOFFMAN MACHINERY CORPORATION, ONNiiw YORK, lN. Y., A' CORPORATION or' DELAWARE' AUTOMATIC BOILER WATER; FEEDER .lrppliati(mmedt August 4, 19.26;:A sriai N6, 12??,12'11 from-thelateral l2 and leads 'throug'hfa valve lfand: a check-valve 17 tof the bottom ofV ai hand pumpf 18. f The pump -is=alsofconnected= intothelo'wer portion ofa bucket 195,' as at 20, inorder that water mayfbe rem'oveflifromthel bucketzbythe pump and forced into-the boiler.y l The bucket' is designed to catcfh-` any water This invention pertains to automatic watery feedersfor use in connection wthsteam boilers. More'specilically-the. invention 1sde- I signed for utilization inconnec tion with boil- 5 ersemployed for: the, purposeroi supplying; g steaml to garment pressing?machinesandy the y like.

rlhe mainobject of the invention isto prol-Y vide Ia structure -by which water.y may befed to 10 a steam boiler in which steamispresentunder greater or less pressure and thls withoutany work imposed uponthe;attendant,.such as pumping, it being-necessary only for theattendant to manipulate oertain'valvesi 15 Y An embodimentof theinventionis-'shown in the annexeddrawings `wherein Figure? l is a'perspective'- View of afsteam' boiler surmounted-byawater feeding tank and'interconnected with the boiler `in such 20 manner thatthewater may'lpass from thetank `zt! strict the steamtfoutiow for purposeswhich will hereinafter: appear.

lInfthedrawings5,l denotesrtheboiler` which may be ofany ap'provedtypel and heated in' any suitable manner,`as by a gas burner.- LoL;

3u cated directly above the boiler is afeed :water tank 2 supported in any suitable man-ner as by a casting, it being understood however, that thisparticu'lar arrangement 1is-notessential to: the operation of the invention; Y

K p The` boiler is providedwith the-usualgage' glassriL and a similar gage.glasscis-provided for the tan-k- 2. 6 Aindicates -`a lin-e adapted to be connectedto -a suitable waterfsupply line, in` which the water yis under pressure. Y, A check-valve 71to-prevent rel'ow is located. in the lineas is also a valve 8. Saidline, through alateral connection 9, is connected-directly into the bottom ofthe feed waterftank-w'hile a second .lateral fline '110A extends downwardly and. isprovided with? a hand-control valve l1; A13-its` lower` end the pipe .10 i's--provid'ed withv a lateral branch 12inl which is located a' checkvalve l13, the lateral l2being connected into-a vsuitable-.pipe .14, which in turn is connected to 50 thebottom of the boiler.- Alateral 15 extends which: may pass downwardly through va pipe when;the waterl tank" is being a ventedz as will hereinafter appear. The pumpis provided bucket togcatc-hz any leakage. that maypass around the piston or through-thepacking' .of the-pumpe .Y f, Ai suitablel drawiotf valve- 21- is connected tothe branch 14 inv order thatfthe boiler bedrainedorpurgedwhen desired.u

G0 with-an overiiowlipwhichfeXtends 'overKthe Y Y A vpipe 22 is connectedlintoftheupper end' ofthe tank-and? extends f downwardlyf there:

o-'theTthereextendsjappelt,.thepipebeing provided with a hand yOperated valve terminatingfzin Petor`- tri1cock$26-whiel1" is connected into the; walter: space-of the boiler.-

.Pet-cocks'I 27 and-27a. are also connected in-,to

vthe boiler; n EXtendin-gefrom thefT 28 isfai branhfpipe 2 8 provided with a handfva'lvefQ/Q., fthe pipe 28 extendingdownwardly alidfbeing: carried over so .lthatdts endf" overlies thebucket Located Viii-fthe downfgoingileg offtheifpi'pe 2@ thereisf provided f al fitting best sh'ownain Figure 2. Mounted in the lower?h endA ofv a nipple 30, ,forming a part-of l thef-line'28,5is`- a Y Venturi .nozzle l31; which nozzle servesftol're'i' strict the steamdiow downwardly' through Y the lpipeMQ/ vto such anextentfthat'f-steain Icannot pass -from` the; lower endY "of-x the 'pi*pe-=28 except under reduced-*pressure In' other wordsazthe WeIitriallo-ws Ythe steam-:to expand irr thelower portion .of the pipe after it passes outfof-the Venturi nozzle and; asf a conse= quenee,l steam-cannot lpassifroin'theflower end oi the pipe 28 with: such force as-v to *blow the waterwout of 'the `bucket incase: -there is anykwaterfin'thebucketl'V x l Thet'riecock 27, abovereferred to,':.maly'fbe Vutilized-I. the Ordinar-yil way'- although:l its presence isfnotfessntiali y f A safety valve 32 of any approvedtypefis shown as connected into the upper portion of the boilerY as is also a steam pressure gauge 33.V

Operation Starting from this point, if the valve 29isv opened it will relieve any steam pressure which may exist in the tank2 by allowing the `steam to flow down through pipe 28 and into the bucket 19.v Opening valve 8 at the same time, or immediately thereafter, lwill allowY water to flow through thecheck-valve 7 and valve 8 up throughpipe Sinto tank 2. The water must follow this course since it cannot go down throughthe valve 11 since this valve is in a closed position; Under these conditions it requires very little water pressure to i.

force` water into the tank dueto the fact that the valve 29 being open allows the pressure inv the tank to ybecome practically atmospheric.

` vAfter the tank has been filled with water,

which can be seen'by the gauge glass 5, valves 8 and 29 are closed in order to place the auto- 'matic water feeder in full operation. It is then necessary to open valves 11 and 25 which permits steam to flow from the boiler Vthrough the tri-cock connection 26 and pipe 24-22 Y into tank 2 and allows thewater to flow from through the pipe 24. This almost immediatesaid tank through the pipe 10.-'-12-14 and past the check-valve 13 into the bottom of the boiler. f

In order that steam may flow from the tricock connection 26 and through pipe 24 the water supply in the boiler must be vbelow the tri-cock connection 26. Consequently, as the waterf'flows into the boiler from thefeeder tank, the water'level-inthe boiler rises until finallyl it` reaches the tri-cock connection 26 at which point the water llsthe opening and allows no more steam to flow upwardly ly causes the steam -pressurein the tank 2 to drop and preventsV afurther flow ofv water through the pipe 9-'-10-12-14 andcheckvalve 13 to the bottom of the boiler.'-

During the process of boiler operation, as

the steam is usedfrom'the boiler and the water level is consequently lowered unsealing the boiler connectionx to the tri-cock 26, steam is'again allowed lto flow up into the tank 2, as above .described,`which permits more water to befed vintoy the bottom of the boiler, as above outlinedf' This cycle of procedure is automatic untilV finally the water in the water feeder tank is exhaustedat which time it again becomes necessary to close the valves 25 and 11 and open valves 8 and 29 refilling the -tank as above described. n .f Y' Y It will be noted that the check-valve 7 prevents steam flowing into the water line 6 in case the initial steam pressure of the tank should be greater thanthe water pressure in` v the line when the valve 8 is rst opened and before 'the valve v29 has hadtime torelieveV the steam pressure.l It is likewise to be noted that the check-valve 13 prevents any great surge of water from the boilerto flow up-into the feeder tank.` VV-henr the tank is in the operating position with the'valves 29 and 8 closed and 11 and 25 open it also prevents this occurring ifthe valve 25 should be left in closed position-and valve 11 open, as this would then allow the water to be forced out of the boiler and through the bottomy ofthe water feeder tank were itV not for the protective action of the check-valve13.

Vhen the valve' 29 is opened in the due courseof operation, in order to relieve the steam pressure inthe tank'2, if nothing were done to constrict the steam flow, the operator 'i might inadvertently open said valve to such an extent 'as to pass steam through the line 28 and into thebucket 19 with sucient force toV blow any water which the bucket might contain outwardly therefrom and overanything adjacent to the boiler. The'device shown'i'n i Figure 2 prevents this condition.

Steam under pressure, as it passes the Venturi nozzle 31 will suddenly-expand into the lower portion of the pipe 28 and this sudden expansion materially reduces the velocity of the steam flow. Y y It will be noted from the above description that it is possible to use this water feederfon any model of boilerinstallationandwhereitis present itlis not'necessary for`the operator to use a-pump, injector or other means of feeding thewater- -to theboiler when the latter is under steam pressure. p No matter how low the Vwater pressure in the line 6inay be, if it is just suicient to fill the tank 2, 'that is all that l is necessary.

Havingthus described my invention,rwhat 2 I 'claim-isi Y o 1. A water feeder for steam boilers com Erising in combination a steam boiler';'awater olding tank located at a level abovey the boiler; a valve vent pipe leading from the upper portion to the tank to the atmosphere; a valved connectionleading from the lower portion of the tank to the lower portion of the Y boiler; a valved connection leading from the upperportion of the tank to the boileriand'tervminating'in the latter about'tlienormal water level thereof; and a valved Y connection extending from the tank to a Vwater supply.v

' n2. In a water feeder for steam boilers, `the combination of a steam boiler; a water holding tank located at a level above the-boiler; a v normally open pipeconnecting the upperporf"` tion of the tank with the normal water level of the'boiler; a connection between the lower portionfof the water tank and the lower por-V tion of the boiler; valves controlling said pipe and connection; means, when saidvalves are closed, for venting the water tank to at-V mosphere, said means including a device for .retarding the flow of the steam therethrough;

and means for admitting water under pres- Y sure to the tank.

3. A water feeder for steam yboilers oom- Y the lower portion of the boilerg-a vent pipe for the upper portion ofthe tank,` said Vent pipe opening to atmosphere and being valved and provided with a Venturi nozzle to prevent undue surging of steam from the tank when the vent pipe is open; and means for feeding water tothe water tank when the Y vent pipe is open and theother connections are closed. l

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. v

` HERBERT EDWARD PAGE.

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,758,294. Granted May 13, 1930, to

HERBERT EDWARD PAGE.

It is hereby certified' that error appears in the printed speefication of the above numbered patent requiring correction as followsz- Page 2, line 115, claim 1, for the word "valve" read "valved"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of June, A. D. 1930.

M. J.v Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

